


A Normal Evening

by MariaClaire



Series: Senior Year Stories [11]
Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan, The Heroes of Olympus - Rick Riordan, The Trials of Apollo - Rick Riordan
Genre: Babysitting, Because Percy babysitting Estelle is pretty darn cute, Domestic Fluff, F/M, Fluff, It's just pretty much fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-12
Updated: 2020-07-12
Packaged: 2021-03-04 21:35:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,420
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25213270
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MariaClaire/pseuds/MariaClaire
Summary: After returning from helping Magnus in Boston, Percy and Annabeth experience something very weird (for them, anyway)-a normal evening baby-sitting Estelle.
Relationships: Annabeth Chase/Percy Jackson
Series: Senior Year Stories [11]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1746076
Comments: 2
Kudos: 132





	A Normal Evening

**Author's Note:**

> ***This is set after Percy and Annabeth get back from Boston in the third Magnus Chase book, Ship of the Dead, and it's pretty much just pure fluff. Because sometimes we need that. And also there's still not nearly enough Percy babysitting Estelle fics out there. Hope you enjoy!***

**PERCY:**

Percy was up to his wrists in poop when someone knocked on the door.

"Schist," he muttered, looking around for a wipe. Estelle gurgled and kicked her chubby legs, inadvertently smearing more poop. "Aw, no, Ellie, sit still. Pretty please." She grinned toothlessly and kicked again. Another knock. Percy groaned. Holding his hands out, he stuck his head into the hallway and yelled, "Just a minute!" Finally locating the wipes, he went back to where Estelle was lying on the diaper changing pad laid on top of his parents' bed, halfway through being cleaned up and having her diaper changed. As quickly as he could, Percy finished wiping his baby sister up, then said, "Stay," before ducking across the hall to wash his hands. Seriously, how did it end up _everywhere_? He kept an ear open for Estelle, and whoever was at the door, but they didn't knock again, and his sister was just cooing; luckily, she hadn't started rolling yet, so she _should_ be safe in the middle of the bed for a second, but he didn't really want to leave her long.

As soon as his hands were clean, Percy went back across the hall, got a fresh diaper on Estelle, who waved her hands merrily, and got her into a clean onesie. She gurgled happily again as he picked her up and said, "Seriously, all you eat is milk. How does that even happen?" Estelle merely smiled and reached up to pat his cheek. Percy had to smile back as he carried his baby sister into the living room.

Another knock at the door, and another, "Schist," from Percy. Quickly, he set Estelle into her swing, hit the button to make it go, then went to the door.

"Took you long enough, Seaweed Brain. What were you up to?" Annabeth's gray eyes sparkled, and Percy's heart thumped. They'd spent the entire weekend together, and he'd only dropped her off a few hours ago in Astoria so she could visit a friend from school who was leaving the city in a few days, but his heart apparently wasn't with the program; it picked up its pace like they hadn't seen each other in weeks. Maybe it was because she looked so good, with her hair loose and wearing jean shorts and her dark blue UC Berkeley t-shirt (they had an agreement with Camp Jupiter thanks to some retired legion vets in admissions). Blue was a good color, especially on his girlfriend. Or maybe it was the memory of spending time in the hotel room together after helping her cousin train. Either way, he swallowed and said, "Um, well, Estelle pooped."

"Ew." Annabeth pecked him on the cheek as she walked in. "Another explosion?"

"Yeah, pretty much." Percy closed the door, then added hopefully, "You want to get the next one?"

"Absolutely not." Annabeth set her backpack on the floor in the entry way and wiggled her fingers at Estelle in her swing. "That's totally a big brother's job."

"Fine." He wrapped his arms around her from behind and pressed a kiss against her cotton-covered shoulder. "Hi, by the way."

"Hi." Annabeth leaned back against him.

"I missed you."

"I've been gone for like, four hours. And we were together all weekend."

"Yeah, I know." His voice was a bit muffled by her hair. "Still missed you."

Even without looking, he could hear the smile in her voice. "You're ridiculous."

"Ridiculously in love with you."

* * *

**ANNABETH:**

"Wow, that's a cheesy line," Annabeth said, even though she didn't mind his warm arms around her and the way his breath tickled her neck. Or the way his chest rumbled when he laughed.

"Yeah, pretty bad. But true."

"Dork." But she turned in his arms so they were face to face. His green eyes sparkled in the late evening light coming through the window. Gods, he was cute. Especially when his lips were curved in that annoying half-smirk she'd come to love. So she pressed closer and kissed him, properly. Her heart beat a little faster as memories of being alone with him at the hotel this weekend flashed through her mind.

Estelle squealed and they broke apart, both a little breathless. The baby squealed again and they turned to look at her. She squealed a third time, waving her tiny hands in the air.

"Just has to be the center of attention all the time," Percy said fondly, shaking his head.

"That's because she _is_ the center of attention, all the time," Annabeth said.

"Well, yeah, but look how cute she is?"

"True," Annabeth admitted. She glanced down, then stiffened. Pointing to the brown smudge on her boyfriend's forearm she said, "Percy, what is that?"

"Schist."

While Percy jumped in the shower, Annabeth kept an eye on Estelle. Which was pretty easy, especially once she picked her up out of the swing when Estelle started fussing. So Annabeth sat on the couch with her bare feet up on the coffee table, leaning the baby against her legs and playing peek-a-boo with Estelle's own chubby hands. The baby gurgled. When she was happy, her little nose wrinkled up. It was absolutely adorable. Annabeth had never really imagined herself to be a baby person, but she was definitely a fan of Estelle. The feeling seemed to be mutual.

Annabeth bounced her knees gently and Estelle cooed. The baby stuck her fingers in her mouth, sucking on them while her eyes studied Annabeth, nose wrinkling when Annabeth smiled at her. She lightly tickled the baby's sides and Estelle squealed, waving a small, spit-covered hand. Drool dribbled down the side of her chin. Annabeth grabbed a burp cloth from the arm of the couch and dabbed Estelle's face, then managed to catch her waving hand. The baby squealed again when Annabeth sat her upright and told her, "You drool just as bad as your brother."

"I resent that." Percy leaned against the hall doorway, arms crossed, a goofy smile on his face, and she wondered how long he'd been standing there watching them.

"Can't handle the truth, Seaweed Brain?" Annabeth teased, gently bouncing Estelle, who was once again chewing her own fingers.

"Never gonna let it go, huh, Wise Girl?" He dropped onto the couch beside them. When he reached out, Estelle wrapped one drooly hand around his finger and Percy's grin widened. He'd left his hair damp, and he smelled good, like soap and shampoo.

To distract herself from the way her pulse was ratcheting up, Annabeth said, "Well, I got a reminder in the hotel both mornings. You were totally drooling before you woke up."

Percy blushed, then said indignantly, "I can't exactly help it!"

"S'okay." Annabeth leaned over to quickly kiss his cheek. When Estelle squealed again, Annabeth kissed her chubby cheek, too. "Reminded me of when we met."

Percy snorted. But he shifted to put his arm around her shoulders, and Annabeth relaxed against his side. Estelle's bright eyes flickered between them. She was now happily chewing on the hand that was also wrapped around Percy's finger. Golden summer evening light suffused the living room, lighting up dust particles in the air. Annabeth felt lazily content.

"I ordered a pizza," she said. "Should be here in about fifteen minutes."

"You're the best." Percy's hand ran up and down her arm. "I think my mom left a 2-liter of Coke, too."

"Awesome. Oof," Annabeth grunted as Estelle's sharp little foot shot out, kicking her in the stomach. "Ouch, Ellie." Estelle just gurgled. Then her small face contorted in an expression that was somewhere between concerned and in pain. Annabeth just had a moment to think, _Uh-oh_ , before Estelle spit up spectacularly, splattering Annabeth's shirt. "Lovely."

"Dang." Percy almost sounded impressed.

"Yeah. Here." Annabeth handed Estelle to Percy, trying not to get spit-up on the couch. "You clean her up while I go change my shirt."

"You brought an extra shirt?" Percy asked as he gingerly lifted Estelle, supporting her head but also holding her spit-up covered body away from his clean post-shower clothes.

"No, I'm stealing one of yours," Annabeth said over her shoulder as she marched down the hallway to Percy's room.

They met back in the living room a few minutes later, Annabeth wearing one of Percy's black t-shirts splashed with the logo of some band, Estelle now in a fresh onesie.

"This is the third time I've changed her outfit," Percy grumbled. "And I've only been baby-sitting a couple hours! I'll have to do a load of laundry before my mom even gets home."

"Maybe your mom has a point," Annabeth said, tickling Estelle under her chubby chin, just to watch her smile. "About babies being the best form of birth control."

"Maybe," Percy agreed.

There was a knock at the door, and the two of them exchanged a look. "Probably the pizza," Annabeth said. She plucked Estelle out of Percy's arms. "I'll take this, you get that."

While Annabeth settled Estelle back into her swing, Percy paid the pizza guy. Once Estelle was comfortably swinging and already looking drowsy, Annabeth followed Percy into the kitchen. He looked at her guiltily over the slice of pizza he was already biting into. She just rolled her eyes as she got two glasses out of the cabinet, added ice, and poured the Coke. "When you're done, how about you put pieces on plates for _both_ of us? I'll put on a movie."

She carried the glasses out into the living room and set them on the coffee table before scanning the DVDs and selecting one. When she turned back around, Percy was smiling apologetically on the couch, holding out a plate with two slices of pizza on it for her. "Sorry. I just didn't realize how hungry I was. I haven't eaten since we had lunch with Magnus and Alex."

"Uh-huh." Annabeth took her plate gratefully, giving him a look to let him know she wasn't actually mad. "It's you. That wasn't surprising."

"Yeah, well, you know." Percy shrugged as they settled back on the couch. "So what movie are we watching?"

"Just wait." Annabeth nibbled her pizza as the previews played, waiting to see when Percy would catch on. But he was pretty focused on his food. It wasn't until the main menu came up that he realized what DVD she'd put in. His expression was scandalized.

"No."

"Why not?" she asked innocently.

"Because it's horrible," he complained.

"Is not," she maintained calmly. "Besides, there's nothing bad for Estelle to overhear."

"Disagree," Percy muttered, but he took another massive bite of pizza and gestured for her to start the movie. Annabeth smirked as she hit play on the remote and Disney's _Hercules_ began to play. It had become a running joke between them, because the depictions of the Olympians and Greek mythology were so over-the-top, but also somewhat accurate. So, when they couldn't think of any other option, somehow they kept falling back on this movie. And usually complaining about the stuff that wasn't depicted correctly, or reminiscing about their own experiences with the various gods and monsters. So, it was basically just easy and fun. And Annabeth felt they'd earned that.

The point about Estelle was pretty irrelevant, since she had fallen fast asleep in her swing. Percy and Annabeth had to keep their voices down, trying not to wake her up, but they still had fun laughing and watching the movie. It was nice to just hang out, no quest, no school, no pressure. Annabeth didn't think she'd ever felt this relaxed about life in general. Of course, things would probably get tougher in the fall, once their college classes started, but for now, she was enjoying the much needed break.

* * *

**PERCY:**

Halfway through the movie, the pizza was gone, and Percy was sprawled on his back on the couch, one arm behind his head, the other wrapped around Annabeth curled against his side. She was absently tracing tiny circles on his chest while the current song in the movie was playing. Between the two, he was trying not to fall asleep. It had been a busy weekend.

He jolted wide awake, though, when Estelle gave a sharp, sad cry. Annabeth sat up so Percy could scramble off the couch, trying to get to his baby sister before she really started to wail. "Hey, Ellie, what's wrong?" he murmured as he stopped the swing and scooped her up. She nuzzled her tiny face against his t-shirt, still sniffling and half-crying. He checked her diaper, but it was dry. And a quick glance at the clock told him it wasn't quite time for her bottle yet. He cradled her against his shoulder, gently bouncing her as he walked, saying random quiet, hopefully soothing things. It must have worked, because after a couple minutes Estelle settled down. When he shifted his grip, she looked up and gave him a toothless smile. He smiled back, then kissed the top of her head. "Better? Just needed some cuddles? That's cool, I like hugs, too."

There was a soft laugh from the couch and Percy looked up to see Annabeth watching him with an expression on her face that he couldn't quite identify, so he asked, "What?"

"Huh? Nothing." She shook her head. "You just make a really cute big brother."

_Thank you, Estelle._ Percy sat back down on the couch, still cuddling Estelle, who now seemed perfectly content. They watched the rest of the movie that way, Annabeth leaning back against the arm of the couch, her legs across Percy's lap while he held his sister, and he figured this wasn't a bad way to spend an evening.

With her usual impressive timing, Estelle started getting fussy again just as the credits began to roll, so Percy passed her to Annabeth while he went into the kitchen to heat up a bottle. When he came back out and reached for Estelle, though, Annabeth bit her lip and asked, almost shyly, "Can I do it?"

Percy tried to hide his surprise. "Sure. Here, just hold her like this…" He helped Annabeth adjust Estelle, then showed her how to hold the bottle at the best angle. It was rare to see his girlfriend uncertain about something, but she seemed a little nervous about this. Once Estelle was settled, he gently laid a burp cloth over Annabeth's shoulder. "Just in case. Trust me."

Estelle was watching Annabeth over the top of her bottle. Occasionally, the baby's eyes would drift to Percy and he'd smile at her. Annabeth seemed stiff at first, as if she was afraid to move and jostle the baby, but after a few minutes, when about a third of the bottle was gone and Estelle's eyelids started to droop, she relaxed a little bit.

"You're doing great," Percy offered, his arm resting along the back of the couch, not quite touching her shoulders.

"Thanks." Annabeth shot him a quick smile. Estelle's eyes widened briefly as she tried to fight the drowsiness, then drifted half-closed again. "She's awfully cute, isn't she?"

"Oh yeah."

By the time the bottle was empty, Estelle was totally blissed out, asleep with a full belly. "Wow," Annabeth whispered. "It's so obvious she's your sister."

"Yeah," Percy said affectionately, lightly squeezing Estelle's tiny foot before adding, "Okay, now you need to burp her."

"But she looks so peaceful," Annabeth protested. "I don't want to wake her up."

"She won't be peaceful if she doesn't burp," Percy said. "It'll make her stomach hurt."

"Oh. Okay."

* * *

**ANNABETH:**

Annabeth's nerves came back as Percy instructed her on how to sit the baby up, then tap her on the back. Estelle was so tiny and fragile, Annabeth didn't want to tap her too hard.

"You can pat her a little harder than that, it's okay," Percy said.

Annabeth had been afraid Estelle would wake up screaming, but she seemed too relaxed after her bottle. After about a minute of having her back patted, Estelle burped loudly without ever really opening her eyes. Annabeth allowed herself a small smirk when she looked at Percy. "Oh yeah, totally your sister."

"Ha ha. Oh, watch that." Spit up was dribbling down Estelle's chin, so Annabeth grabbed the burp cloth on her shoulder to wipe the baby's mouth, chin, and chubby neck. "See?" Percy added. "I knew you'd need that."

"Good call, Seaweed Brain." Annabeth cradled Estelle as the baby's head lolled. "She is completely out."

"Yep. The bottle does it every time." Percy gently lifted his baby sister out of Annabeth's arms. "And now it's bedtime."

While he carried Estelle down the hall to her room, Annabeth stayed in the living room, setting the bottle on the coffee table and twisting the burp cloth in her hands, thinking about the way Estelle's eyes had watched her and the way she'd trustingly fallen asleep in Annabeth's arms. She wasn't sure exactly what all she was feeling, but decided that it was mostly positive.

"Estelle still sleeping?" she asked when Percy came back out.

He nodded. "Like a baby."

"Ha ha." Annabeth sank back onto the couch, tucking her legs under her and grabbing the remote so she could flip back to live TV. After scrolling through channels, she settled on a random movie playing. Something about superheroes. Good enough.

Percy set the baby monitor on a side table, then sat down next to her, his arm settling around her shoulders before he said quietly, "Hey."

"Hey," Annabeth said softly. She raised a hand and brushed her fingers across his cheek, just because she wanted to touch him.

He turned his head to press a kiss against the center of her palm, sending sparks rushing through Annabeth. His eyes were soft, though, when he said, "Good weekend, right?"

"Really good. Well, except for the part where you almost killed my cousin about a dozen times."

"He recovered. And he's already dead, so technically…."

"True." Annabeth laid her head on Percy's shoulder. He smelled a little bit like baby powder from holding Estelle. "Do you think he'll be okay?"

"I do. Magnus seems like a pretty smart guy." He gave her a small squeeze. "Must run in the family."

She smiled. "I hope so." They were quiet for a few minutes, just watching the movie. Then, unable to help it, Annabeth blurted out, "This is weird, right? I mean, not having any pressure or mess or anything. I literally can't remember ever feeling this relaxed. _Ever_."

"You mean the fact that we have no homework, no quest, and no prophecy spelling out our imminent doom? We have literally nothing to do right now but chill?" Percy took a deep breath. "Yeah, it's really freakin' weird."

Annabeth laughed. "Okay, good. I was afraid it was just me."

"Nah." Percy shifted so he could meet her eyes. "I could get used to it, though."

"I know," Annabeth said quietly. "That's the scary part."

"Maybe." Percy kissed her lightly. "If it makes you feel better, we'll have plenty of homework once college starts. That's what I hear, anyway."

Annabeth tried to hide a smile. "So you're saying I shouldn't worry about it because we'll be stressed again soon?"

"Exactly." Percy grinned. "Does that help?"

"Kind of." She tugged him closer. "And that probably means we should take advantage of this peaceful moment."

"Probably."

Annabeth smiled as she kissed him, letting the rest of the world melt away for several blissful moments. Even after they heard the faint jingle of keys at the door and scrambled apart before Percy's parents walked in, the serene feeling remained. It lingered as Sally greeted her warmly, and as she watched Percy give his mom a detailed play-by-play of everything Estelle had done while they'd been gone. It expanded when Paul encouraged his wife to tell them "the good news" and Sally, beaming, shared that she'd gotten a call from her literary agent this evening and her second book had just received a contract from a publisher, and they all joined in on congratulating her.

As the conversation continued, about Sally's contract, about the weekend in general, about Estelle, about Percy and Annabeth's plans to head out to California in a few weeks, Annabeth realized suddenly that it all felt like a regular evening in a normal family. And that was possibly the strangest experience out of all the strange things she'd experienced. But Annabeth loved it. For now, she was happy and relaxed and looking forward to the future. For the moment, life was good.

* * *

**Author's Note:**

> ***Thanks for reading!***


End file.
